Golf ball printing machine



May 28, 1935. R. ATTl 2,002,847

GOLF BALL PRINTING MACHINE Filed March 11, 1932 flu ATTORNEY PatentedMay 28, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claim.

This invention relates to golf ball printing machines in general andmore especially to machines for impressing a line of characters in thesurface of a golf ball after the golf ball has been 5 formed.

It is old to form at the poles of golf balls, a line of characters suchas the trade-mark or name of a manufacturer, during the molding. of theball, preferably by intaglio or recessed letters.

More recently the custom has arisen of impressing on the poles of golfballs an identifying mark for an individual player. At first there wasmerely added to the trade-mark of the manufacturer, a separate number sothat one player might have a Silver King 1 and another Silver King. 2".This custom was quickly accepted by the players as of considerablevalue. For instance, if the members of a foursome were all using onemake of ball formerly considerable confusion existed in'distinguishingone player's ball from the other, especially when the balls would cometo rest close to one another, and consequently even before thisnumbering system was started, players were already marking their golfballs with identifying marks by means of pencil, ink or the like.

With the system more recently practiced, the dealer, golf ballprofessional and the like went a step farther and impressed a markconsisting of several letters, such as the initials or name of theplayer or other individual identifying row of characters onto the ball.The result produced with the latter practice has however been more orless crude resulting in poorly alined notations and impressions thatwere both variable in clearness and intensity.

In view of the foregoing, the present invention aims to provide animproved golf ball marking machine according to which a line ofcharacters consisting of leters and/or other identifying marks may withfacility be impressed on a certain predetermined portion of the golfball with the several characters of a mark substantially identical toone another both in clearness and intensity.

Specifically the invention aims to provide an improved machine forproperly alining the ball with respect to the characters to be receivedand in turn also to aline the line of characters with respect to theball so as to facilitate the accurate and proper formation of theseveral characters of a mark on a certain predetermined portion of thegolf ball.

Specifically it is still another object of the present invention toprovide a type or die holder by means of which the type or dies selectedto form a mark may with facility be secured in place in the holder andin turn with facility be removed when desired.

These and other features, capabilities and advantages of the in entionwill appear from the subjoined detail description of one specificembodiment thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawing in whichFigure 1 isa' side elevation of a machine made according to the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental plan view of a portion of the machineshowing the means for alining the golf ball;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmental end elevation partly in section of themachine;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation partly in section of the type or die holder;

Fig. 5 is a perspective of a portion of the type or die holder; and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a golf ball showing the marking producedby the present invention.

The machine consists essentially of a supporting platform I having anupright 2 extending therefrom with a lateral arm 3 having a tubularguide 4 at the end thereof and a vertical arm 5 having a lever 6pivotally connected thereto which in turn is pivotally connected to theplunger I slidable in the guide 4 at the end of which is formed the typeor die holder 8 to receivethe type or dies 9 to be brought into markingengagement with the golf ball l0 positioned in the cup Ii secured to theplatform i.

The lever is pivotally connected to the uprightarm ibythepin I2 inanywell knownmanner. The upper end of the plunger I is preferablybifurcated and has a pin l3 pivotally connecting such bifurcated end ofthe plunger 1 with the lever 6 at a comparatively short distance fromthe upright arin 5, the longest portion of the lever 6 extending beyondthe pin it.

The opening ll in the lever 6 to receive the pin it is slightly arcuateshaped to permit the pin freely to cooperate with the lever 6 while theplunger 1 is definitely guided in the tubular guide 4. The plunger 1 isnormally maintained in its raised position as indicated in Fig. 1 by thespring I! mounted on the plunger I and disposed between the upper end ofthe tubular guide l and the lower edge of the lever B.

The lower end of the plunger 1 is preferably provided with an extendedrecess I i to receive the plug ll of the die holder 8. The lower end ofthe plunger 1 is also provided with a set screw l8 to engage the plug [1when positioned in the recess I8 and anchored in place. The plug I! mayhave a recess l9 formed therein as indicated in Fig. 4 to receive theinner end of the set screw l8 so as to facilitate positioning the holder8 relative to a predetermined position.

. In order to clear the set screw |8 and thus afford a greater throw forthe movement of the plunger 1, the lower end of the tubular guide 4 ispreferably provided with a recess as shown in Fig. 3 which recess 20 ofcourse also cooperates as a limiting stop with the screw l8.

The holder 8 consists essentially of a laterally extending block havinga lower arcuate surface 2| conforming substantially to the curve of theaverage golf ball and in addition thereto has a recess 22, the uppersurface of which conforms substantially to the arcuate surface 2| andpreferably is disposed parallel thereto as shown in Fig. 3.

The lower end of the downwardly extending portion 23 remote from therecess 22 is preferably cut off to form the inclined arcuate face 24,see Fig. 4. In the ends of the holder 8 and emerging in the recess 22,there are provided the openings 25 to receive the set screws 26 whichextend through the screw threaded openings 21 at the ends'of theclamping bar 28.

This clamping bar 28 has two parallel arcuate faces 29, 30 conformingsubstantially to the arcuate upper face of the recess 22 and the arcuateface 2| of the holder 8 so that the clamping bar 28 may fit into therecess 22 and thus form a type holder substantially similar inconformation on both sides. The lower outer end of the clamping bar 28likewise is cut off to form the inclined face 30 corresponding to theinclined face 24 of the lower end of the holder 8.

arcuate face 30.

By means of this arrangement of the recesses 32 as will appear from Fig.3, the impression faces of t e type or dies 3| may be disposed in an arcco orming to the arc of the golf ball to be marked. It will also appearthat this arrange ment will permit alining the impression faces of thetype or dies 3| accurately to conform either to the arc of the .smallerball formerly used, to wit. 1.62 or the larger ball today extensivelyused, to wit 1.68.

As shown in Fig. 4, there is preferably provided arcuate gasket 34preferably composed of rubber or other like resilient cushion formingsubstance positioned in the arcuate recess 35 extending inwardly fromthe recess 22, to accentuate the frictional engagement with the type ordies 3| when the clamping bar 28 is secured in place by "thfset screws26 and also to serve as a compensator for the variations in thickness ofthe severaldies 3| of a set and thusinsure them against accidentaldisplacement and especially against displacementwhen subjected to thepressing accommunicate with the, smaller cylindrical recess 38. Thelower face 39 of the cup H is preferably plane resting on the planeannular shoulder 40 adjacent to the recess 38. The cup II is formedto-facilitate guiding the ball into alinement for a predeterminedimpression. For this purpose, the cup is preferably provided withquarter notches 4|, 42, 43, 44 on the annular place face 45 of the upperedge of the cup.

The inner face 46 of the cup is preferably semispherical as indicated toconform to half of the surface of the ball to be marked. Thesemi-spherical face 46 is also provided with at least a few of thedominating pattern marks of the ball to be marked. If the ball is a'meshball, the type illustrated in Fig. 6, the semi-spherical face 46 willhave formed thereon at least four sets of raised polygonal projections,to wit the sets of projections 41, 48, 49 and 56. These sets preferablyare disposed in alinement with the quar ter marks 4| to 44 inclusiverespectively as indicated in Fig. 2.

The platform I is further provided with an arrow 5| formed thereon.After selecting the cup desired according to the pattern of the surfaceof the ball to be marked, the cup will be placed in the recess 36 andthen turned until one of its quarter marks 4|, 42, 43 or 44 registerwith the arrow 5|, as indicated in Fig. 2 and then the set screw 53turned frictionally to anchor the cup H in place in the recess 36, theset screw 53 having its screw threaded stem 54 in screw threadedengagement with the platform I and extending inwardly from the frontface 55 thereof.

After a cup has so been anchored in the platform I and the desired typeor dies are selected and clamped by the clamping bar 28 against thegasket 34, as for instance the type required to make up the name JohnDoe and the holder 8 alined relative to the center line corresponding tothe quarters 44 and 42, then the ball will be placed in the cup I untilits equator alines with the upper face 45 of the cup and its quartermarks register with the quarter marks 4|, 42, 43 and 44 and furthermorethe design projections 41 to register with similar polygonal shapedrecesses on the ball.

The ball will be ready to receive the impression on the area 56 whichwill aline with the quarter marks 44 and 42 forming a substantialequator band at this location. The lever 6 may then be swung downwardinto marking engagement with the ball to produce the impression desired,in this instance, the name John Doe. This impression will of course bein the form of recessed or intaglio letters. The dealer or golf ballprofessional will then as a rule brush a desired paint or the likeacross this portion of the ball whereupon the recessed letters will befilled up with the paint and thereupon the surface of the ball brushedoff leaving the paint or the like in the recessed letters to produce thename in the form illustrated in Fig. 6.

Of course, when desired any number of impressions may be made on theball at other locations than the pole of the ball as here described,although as a rule they will be formed at, at least one pole of the balland at most, at two opposite poles of the ball.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made to thedetails of construction without departing from the general spirit of theinvention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A type or die holder consisting of a main block and a clamping barhaving a plurality of type receiving slots formed therein and extendingradial to a common center, type mounted in said slots, a gasket, and setscrews for securing said gasket between said clamping bar and type onone side and said block on the other side.

2. In a type holder for producing a marking on a golf ball consisting ofa block having a lower concave surface, a clamping bar having a lowerconcave surface, a gasket, there being a plurality of type receivingslots in said clamping bar facing said gasket and extending radially toa common center in the direction of said concave surface, the type beingarranged in said slots in radial direction to a common center with theirimpression forming faces arranged in an arc conforming to the arc of thegolf ball to be marked, and set screws for clamping said gasket betweensaid clamping bar and said block after the type has been properlyarranged in said clamping bar.

3. A type holder consisting of two clamping members 'having a pluralityof type receiving slots extending radially to a common center to receivethe type with the impression forming faces facing in the direction ofsaid center arranged in an arc conforming to the arc of the golf ball tobe marked, a cushion forming gasket disposed adjacent to the type, andmeans for clampingly securing said gasket in clamping engagement withsaid type between said clamping members.

4. In a type holder having a printer for producing a row of characterson a golf ball, the combination with two clamping members, there being arecess in one of said clamping members, of a cushion forming frictionproducing gasket disposed in said recess, and means for clampinglysecuring said gasket in clamping engagement with said type between saidclamping members.

RAPHAEL A'I'II.

